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Hammer of Dawn
The Hammer of Dawn was a COG Imulsion-energized satellitehttp://planetgearsofwar.gamespy.com/screenshots/full_res.php?ss=61, invented by the UIR and later stolen by the COG. It was first used as a strategic weaponGears of War: Jacinto's Remnant but forced to become a tactical weapon in the Locust War. Background The Hammer of Dawn was a COG weapon stolen from the UIR, developed approximately 3 yearsNote before Emergence Day. The Hammer of Dawn consists of two separate elements: an orbital satellite equipped with an Imulsion-powered directed particle energy weapon and a hand-held laser designator to be carried by COG ground forces. Use of the Hammer requires that an orbital satellite first be aligned with the general area of operation, and that it have a line of sight to the targeting unit (thus limiting most uses of the Hammer to the outdoors). Once a visual link between the targeting unit and satellite has been achieved, the user must point the hand-held unit's laser at the intended target, at which point the orbital satellite will lock onto the laser's point of termination and begin a sustained particle energy blast on the site. The initial explosion from the laser's termination is the most powerful and can cause extensive damage to anyone nearby. The blast is also capable of continuous delivery for up to 7 more seconds after the initial explosion with real-time laser tracking (allowing the beam's trajectory to be adjusted mid-firing), and directs its output into an area of approximately one square foot. At full power the Hammer is capable of penetrating both artificial and natural armoring and is thus the only troop-deployed weapon capable of damaging Berserkers and Seeders as well as smaller units and even some buildings. In 15 A.E., the Hammer network is becoming less and less accurate and reliable, likely due to either orbital debris impacting and knocking sattelites permanently offline, or the total lack of any Imulsion left to power them and so they shut down and become useless until refueled, which has now become totally impossible with the lack of scientific infrastructure left to humanity upon their relocation to Vectes island.Gears of War: Anvil Gate The Hammer of Dawn is also capable of combining beams (as illustrated in the clip involving the destruction of the surface) in order to take out a larger area and deal far more damage than an individual hammer strike. The only disadvantage to this weapon is that it needs an aligned satellite and clear sky. Usage The Hammer of Dawn is an advanced military satellite-based network used for different roles. Orginally it was used and intended to be used as a strategic weapon, but soon later became a tactical weapon, used as an advanced conventional military weapon. For a time, it was used for asset denial, when Chairman Prescott ordered the HOD to scorch the entire planet of Sera, to wipe out the Locust Horde from the surface. The HOD was also used as a strategic/tactical recon satellite, to scan areas of Sera. The HODs view lens that was generally used for the laser beam could be used as a general recon scanner. This weapon is not to be used at close range, as the explosion is extremely damaging and capable of taking out the weapon wielder as well. At longer ranges, it can take out just about anything, from infantry to Emergence Holes to the more powerful Locust such as Seeders and Berserkers. The satellite beam is a 7-second charge that causes a very powerful initial explosion. That initial explosion is when the beam is at its strongest, as it can instantly take out any regular infantry soldier nearby. As the beam is held, however, the strength gradually drops to a mere beam that gradually reduces health like any other weapon. Therefore, it is best to get a good positioning of the trajectory of the beam for maximum effectiveness in its initial explosion. One of the main weaknesses of the Hammer of Dawn is its aiming mechanism. If units are on the move, the designator must be adjusted to follow them or the satellite cannot complete its locking sequence. A better way to take out targets is to either aim at the ground near them (with bigger target, chances of missing is smaller) or at another distinct object that is near them (ex. Cover). This will decrease the chance of the target escaping. Gears of War 2 The Hammer of Dawn's beam has received a graphical re-design, being more powerful, and looking more "beam-ish". In Gears of War 2, the Hammer has limited ammo for about 4 bursts or 20 seconds, but only in multiplayer/Horde. The initial explosion caused by the laser striking the ground with force has massive splash damage able to kill an enemy instantly for up to about 12 meters, although after the laser strikes, it will have to be directly shone onto the victim's body for about half a second of burning to kill them, and the laser becomes gradually weaker and dimmer the longer it's shone down for. Gears of War 3 The Hammer of Dawn reappears in Gears of War 3. At the E3 play demo, Marcus orders Baird to fire the Hammer when the Lambent Locust start appearing outside of Anvil Gate. Baird warns Marcus that he doesn't have complete control over it, but Marcus tells him to blind-fire it anyway. When the Lambent Beserker appears, it takes on 3 direct hits, but it survives the blasts unscratched and continues to attack inside Anvil Gate. The Hammer of Dawn also appears in the Gears of War 3 beta on the map Trenches. The weapon spawns twice, where the Mortar spawned earlier in the beta, and it interchanges with the One Shot. The amount of time allowed to fire with the Hammer of Dawn has signifigantly been reduced, allowing only about 5 seperate beams to be dropped. The Hammer of Dawn seems to be slightly more powerful than the Gears of War 2 version, but is hampered by it's ammo. Note about creation dates Initially, the Hammer of Dawn was said to be developed approximately 12 years after the Emergence Day. However, this is contradicted in Gears of War: Aspho Fields, where it is revealed that the Aspho Fields conflict was about the Hammer of Dawn technology itself, at that time being developed and implemented by the UIR, approximately 3 years before the Emergence Day. Until a source of greater canonicity than Aspho Fields confirms the former, the Aspho Fields date is the accepted canon. The contradiction in its creation dates could just be that Aspho Fields was only over the technology itself, while it was only actually used after E-Day in order to counter the Locust threat. It's also possible the the hand-held laser designator found in the games wasn't developed until 12 years after E-Day. Behind the Scenes *The Hammer of Dawn may be inspired by the SOL in the manga Akira. The Hammer of Dawn is a near exact copy of the Satellite Orbital Laser (SOL), and can be used by a similar miniature trigger which works in the same way.http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2006/11/20/gears_of_war_xbox_360_review/4 *Another similar weapon is the T.A.G. rifle from Unreal Championship. It uses a Satelite based energy beam, and a "lock on" designator to kill targets in the open. *It could also have been inspired by President Reagan's "Star Wars" program, in which strategically placed satellites would use lasers to shoot down incoming missiles. However, this was intended as a missile defense system, not an offensive weapon. *The idea may have also come from GDI's Ion Cannon from the Command and Conquer series, both being devastating weapons of mass destruction placed in a network around the planet. *It was ranked Number 5 on Gears of War's "Top 5 Weapons" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF5PvqzLgcg&feature=related References Category:Gears of War 2 weapons Category:COG Category:UIR Category:Weapons Category:Weapons of mass destruction